Ask the Labs
By Joseph L. Bruneni

WHICH LENSES FOR RIMLESS?

Q I am hearing opposing statements from several different labs about which material should be used for drilling rimless lenses. Some say polycarbonate only. Another lab will not warrant the work done unless it's done in CR 39. What is the best material for rimless drill lenses?

--Martha Machin, Gainesville Eyeworks, Gainsville, Fla.

A The number of rimless jobs coming into the lab has soared this year. Mounting the lenses is a very labor-intensive process and we've learned that polycarbonate and the new Trivex lenses work the best by far. Many corrections, including plus lenses, can be thinner and more attractive in poly or Trivex. We haven't adapted a rule of poly only for rimless, but we suspect that will be a requirement before long.

--Ron Freese, General manager, Heard Optical, Long Beach, Calif.

A We are a wholesale specialty lab doing 95 percent rimless. Our preference without exception is Trilogy Trivex for rimless. It's the only material we've found that will not crack or distort around the holes, even when surfaced to 1.0mm. Because it works so well for rimless, Trivex is the only rimless lens material we plan to warrant against cracking or breaking.

--Bryan Shaw, The Rimless Connection, Miami, Fla.

Editor's note: We talked to a number of labs on this subject and each preferred poly or Trivex for rimless. Lab technicians in particular prefer to use nothing else for rimless. One lab owner explained that they warrant their work against breakage and have to redo too many three-piece mounts when they are CR 39. We're told that many labs in England have a poly-only policy for rimless. It's difficult to understand why a lab would only warrant rimless lenses made in CR 39.

WHO WAS FIRST?

Q A recent news release announced that the OLA presented its 2002 Director's Choice Award to Bernard Maitenaz, retired chairman of Essilor International. The story stated that he was the inventor of the progressive lens. An optical history book I have claims that progressives were invented in 1907. It is doubtful Maitenaz is that old, so who's correct?

A You've got a good memory. The news story had the facts slightly wrong. The concept for a progressive lens was actually patented in 1907 by a man named Owen James, but the lens was impossible to produce with the manufacturing equipment of that day. The remarkable contribution of Maitenaz was that his ingenuity and perseverance made the dream of producing such an exotic lens possible. He is correctly identified as the inventor of Varilux progressive lenses. Since Varilux were the world's first-ever commercially viable progressive lenses, one can certainly say that Bernard Maitenaz is the person who made progressive addition lenses possible.

Keeping an Eye on the Ball

Q Do you have any recommendations on manufacturers for youth soccer eye protection? My daughter was struck in the eye and I need to find eye protection that does not obstruct the vision. I have been referred to basketball and racquetball eye protection. Do you have any ideas? Thanks.

A Eye protectors that are certified to ASTM F803 for racquet sports, baseball, lacrosse, or baseball would be fine. The eyewear should have been tested by an A2LA accredited lab. The site www.protecteyes.org lists several products that pass. If the child wears an Rx lens, the ZOOM (distributed by Hilco) with a 2mm poly lens would give excellent protection.

--Paul Vinger, MD, Tufts University

If you have a question you'd like to have answered in Ask the Labs, send it to Joseph L. Bruneni. Fax: 310-533-8165. Phone: 310-533-4975. E-mail: joe@bruneni.com. Or mail questions to: Vision Consultants, 2908 Oregon Court, #I-2, Torrance, CA 90503. An archive of past Ask the Labs columns can be found on the Eyecare Business Website at www.eyecarebiz.com.